The process of distillation is well known and is regarded as the most effective way to separate toxins, bacteria, chemicals and solids from liquids (such as tap water) to produce a pure liquid (e.g., drinking water). In the past, various water distillation units have been developed to purify tap water in both household and commercial applications. The primary function of these water distillation units is to heat water and condense the resultant vapors in order to separate and remove contaminants from the municipal water supply prior to use. The distillation process involves heating the water to produce steam, followed by a cooling or condensing of the steam to yield pure water and a by-product that contains all of the contaminants that were separated and removed from the water during the heating process. This separation of contaminants takes place as a result of various chemicals and other contaminants boiling at different temperatures than pure water. Some contaminants are carried over in the vapor at lower temperatures, while all solids remain in the distillation chamber as the liquid vaporizes. To effectively and efficiently purify water by distillation, it is important to have a controlled way of venting or capturing unwanted vapors that occur at lower temperatures than the boiling point of pure water. This can be achieved with the use of an activated carbon filter that captures the contaminants and solids that separate from the tap water at these lower temperatures. It is also beneficial to have measures for automatically deactivating the heating elements once the tap water has been completely boiled and converted to the vapor state.
Water distillation units in current use have several shortcomings that limit their usefulness as a practical and desirable way for providing pure water, particularly in a household environment. For instance, water distillation units currently in use are usually bulky and are often designed to require inconvenient and unsightly positioning on countertops. Most of these units require manual filling and/or manual removal of the distilled water prior to use. Periodically, the distillation unit must be manually cleaned to remove calcium deposits and other mineral deposits that build up on the interior surfaces, particularly, in the distillation chamber. These deposits adversely affect the function of many of the components, including the heating element, and limit the overall cleanliness of the unit. The intensive labor for removing these contaminants requires manual disassembly of the unit and separation of parts, which are then soaked in certain chemicals, such as citric acid. The chemicals react with the deposits, eventually causing them to dissolve and separate from the surface of the soaked parts. The production of truly pure distilled water can be problematic, and many water distillers in current use are not entirely effective in removing all the contaminants. Higher quality water distillation units provide for removal or “scrubbing” of contaminants from vapors created in the distillation chamber. Post-filtration using activated media is the accepted method to assure final scrubbing of the distilled water to remove unwanted vapors that pass through the system from the distillation chamber. Although venting the initial vapors before they re-condense is effective, high-quality final scrubbing using post filtration produces the purest water. At present, activated carbon is the preferred media to remove organics and other contaminants due to its natural ability to attract and retain the unwanted and unhealthy chemicals. However, activated carbon filter media becomes saturated in time and must be monitored, maintained, and manually replaced on a regular basis. A further drawback associated with water distillation units in current use is the significant amount of energy required to heat and vaporize water in the distillation process and poor energy efficiency. Furthermore, water in its purest state typically has a neutral or bland taste because it lacks the flavor of the minerals found in water that most people are accustomed to drinking. These flavor-producing minerals are removed by distillation leaving the pure water with a taste that does not appeal to most consumers.